Monument record 1160/1/32 - The outer bailey bank, wall and ditch, Northampton Castle

The outer bailey was defined by a bank, the eastern side of which was recorded by Dryden in the 19th century. A ditch probably lay around its outer edge and a retaining wall along the front of the bank. The outer bailey was constructed in the first half of the 12th century, probably cAD1120.

{1} Excavation at Chalk Lane included the excavation of two sections across a ditch presumed to be the outer bailey ditch. Trench Y was excavated by hand and showed that the ditch was probably c14.5m wide and 5.5m deep. The line of the ditch was confirmed in Trench X. 17th and 18th century pottery was recovered from the uppermost fill of the ditch, but layers below contained nothing later than 16th-century pottery, suggesting that the eastern ditch at least had largely silted up by the post-medieval period.

{2} Excavations prior to the construction of the new railway station identified elements of the outer bailey defences including the inner face of the bank in the south-western corner of the excavated area and the foundations of a mortared ironstone revetment wall along the outher face of the bank. There was no revetment of the inner face suggesting it sloped down to meet the ground surface of the interior. The bank may have been between 4-7m high depending on the slope. A possible postern gate providing direct access from the outer bailey to the medieval West Bridge was also identified.

<1> Williams J.H., 1981, Excavations in Chalk Lane, Northampton (Article). SNN2964.

<2> Chapman, A, 2021, Excavation within the Outer Bailey of Northampton Castle, 2013-15, p. 191-255 (Article). SNN112915.

Record last edited

Apr 23 2025 5:47PM